Starlight Auction

In the Divine Realm, Tang San looked at Wang Dong, who was sprawled out asleep in her hotel room, with exasperation.

"Xiao Qi, why are you so hopeless? If things keep going like this and a crisis ever strikes Douluo Continent, won't I be powerless to turn the tide?"

"Xiao Qi, your father will give you another push and help you find the happiness that belongs to you. That way, I can continue protecting Douluo Continent with a clear conscience."

As he spoke, several rings of divine light appeared behind Tang San. The Sea God's divine power gradually descended upon the Valley of Love Inquiry, drawing out a great deal of the Love God's law power within it.

After changing the Love God's law to target Huo Yuhao, Tang San used the Sea God's divine consciousness that he had left in Wang Dong's Spirit Sea to merge the law into her body.

"Now that the law has been extracted, we can start the Emperor Auspicious Beast's plan as well."

"If Huo Yuhao's mental power weren't so strong, I would have directly merged part of Xiao Qi's divine consciousness into the Auspicious Beast's Spirit Sea. Why go through all this trouble?"

"But this means it'll probably be difficult to get the Golden Dragon Spear. I'll have to wait until Huo Yuhao enters the Divine Realm and see if I can trade for it."

As Tang San spoke, he carefully avoided the Silver Dragon King's divine consciousness and merged a portion of the Love God's law—several times more powerful than the one Wang Dong had received—into the Auspicious Beast.

At that moment, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, asleep in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, suddenly jolted awake. She had dreamed of many ordinary days spent with Huo Yuhao after she transformed into human form in the future.

Already curious about the human world and eager to explore it after watching the small amount of memories Huo Yuhao had sent her, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion finally made up her mind.

After leaving a false body behind in the Star Dou Great Forest to make it look as though she had gone into seclusion, she began the process of transforming herself.

In a hotel in Star Luo City, Wang Dong also woke up in a daze. Not yet fully free of her dream, she instinctively called out, "Yuhao."

Then she suddenly realized what she had said, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

In her dream, she had eventually married Huo Yuhao after he ascended to the Divine Realm, and the two of them had even had several children.

After waking, Wang Dong felt a pang of disappointment. She bit her silver teeth and resolved to seek out Huo Yuhao.

Over the next few days, Shrek Academy swept through every elimination match and made it into the top sixteen.

After the final elimination match ended, Huo Yuhao was about to return to his room to cultivate when he felt a warm, tender gaze fixed on his back.

Huo Yuhao helplessly glanced back at Wang Dong. He had no idea what had gotten into her lately; she had been staring at him like that for days.

Huo Yuhao figured God King Tang was behind it again. Still, the Power of Destiny hadn't sent him any warning, so it probably wouldn't affect him.

Not long after he returned to his room, the group from Shrek Academy received an invitation from the Starlight Auction.

As the largest auction house in Star Luo City, it would naturally be auctioning Battle Armor as well.

Shortly after Huo Yuhao led the others into a box at the Starlight Auction, the auction was about to begin.

"Lang Ya, didn't the sect master say that Body Martial Soul Soul Masters must rely on themselves, and that Soul Tools are useless? Why are we here to take part in the auction?"

Inside the Body Sect's box, Yu Tao asked Lang Ya in confusion.

"That wasn't the sect master's idea. The Heavenly Soul Royal Family wants us to help them bid for it. They might not be able to transport it back safely on their own. The royal family will cover all the expenses this time."

At that, Yu Tao lay back on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest. As a member of the Body Sect, which had always believed in the power of the self and looked down on Soul Tools, he had little interest in them.

The auction today was being conducted by a senior auctioneer Huo Yuhao didn't recognize. She was strikingly beautiful and refined, but she wasn't Princess Xu Jiujiu, as she had been in the original timeline.

Huo Yuhao guessed it was because she was about to join the academy, so she had stayed away to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

After one lot after another went under the hammer, it was finally time for the Two-Word Battle Armor Huo Yuhao had made.

Before the auction began, however, the auctioneer announced the terms for this round of bidding.

"This Two-Word Battle Armor will not be sold for Gold Soul Coins. We will only accept rare metals and Soul Tools worth an equivalent amount in Gold Soul Coins."

"The starting bid is fifty million Gold Soul Coins. The auction begins now."

Inside the Sun Moon Empire's box, Xiao Hongchen angrily pounded the sofa.

"Damn it! The Douluo Three Kingdoms must have planned this in advance. They're paying in rare metals to catch us off guard. They never intended to let us win the bid."

Elder Ma, seated beside him, didn't quite agree with Xiao Hongchen's view. He shook his head.

"Xiao Hongchen, you're still a little inexperienced. If they really wanted to stop us from winning, the best way would be to accept only rare treasures of heaven and earth."

"Rare metals and Soul Tools are the Sun Moon Empire's strengths. They're trying to make us hand over as many high-grade rare metals and Soul Tools as possible."

Xiao Hongchen nodded in agreement, then continued hesitantly, "Should we still bid on this set of Battle Armor? Many of the advanced Soul Tools we have with us incorporate new technologies."

Elder Ma took out a letter and handed it to Xiao Hongchen after opening it, letting him read it for himself.

"The royal family has already stepped in. Their order is to acquire a set of Battle Armor at any cost. Even just verifying its performance would be extremely important to us."

"That's why we have to bid on the first set. The Star Luo Imperial Family has thought this through carefully."

"If the first set goes to Douling or Heavenly Soul, then when the second set is auctioned, whichever country gets the first will join us in bidding with everything they have."

"Only when the first set is up for auction can we take advantage of Douling and Heavenly Soul believing they'll be able to outbid each other in the next round, and reduce what we have to spend."

After explaining everything to Xiao Hongchen, Elder Ma didn't hesitate. He raised his bidding paddle.

"One hundred and fifty million."

"Two hundred and seventy million."

"Three hundred million."

After Elder Ma raised his paddle and bid three hundred million for the third time, the Douling and Heavenly Soul empires finally stopped bidding, allowing the Sun Moon Empire to claim the set.

"Xiao Hongchen, be careful while you're in the Star Luo Empire. Once I get the Battle Armor, I'll have to take it back to the Sun Moon Empire immediately."

After negotiating with the auction house, Elder Ma paid for an additional Level 8 Soul Tool. In exchange, he was allowed to pay for the rare metals and Soul Tools in advance and leave with the Battle Armor first.

Xu Jiawei watched as the Heavenly Fiend Douluo handed him the Storage Soul Tool and tapped the table in satisfaction.

"Two Level 9 Soul Tools, ten Level 8 Soul Tools, and rare metals worth a hundred million. They're all new kinds of Soul Tools we've never seen before. The Sun Moon Empire is certainly willing to pay."

Seeing the Heavenly Fiend Douluo's faintly puzzled expression, Xu Jiawei continued, "I already asked Pavilion Master Huo. They can't analyze this Two-Word Battle Armor, and trying to take it apart by force will trigger an explosion."

"Once Shrek Academy has made more Battle Armor, the Sun Moon Empire will find a way to get its hands on some sooner or later. We might as well use this chance to exchange for advanced Soul Tool technology."